By Stephen Klejst
Do you know what union station means? It’s a train station where tracks and facilities are shared by two or more railway companies allowing for more convenient passenger connections. While New York City has Pennsylvania Station and Grand Central Station, here in Washington it’s Union Station.
One-hundred and fifty-eight years ago today, on Sept. 20, 1853, the Indianapolis Union Railway opened the world’s first union station in the Wholesale District of Indianapolis. The idea was to address the growing number of competing railroads building their own stations within the city, which created problems for transferring both passengers and freight. I wonder if they knew then how integral rail transportation and these “union stations” would be to the growth of our nation and economy.
Indianapolis continues to play an important role in our nation’s rail transportation system. Today, Amtrak provides intercity rail passenger service at the historic Union Station. In addition, Indianapolis is also a hub for freight rail. The city is currently served by two Class I railroads – CSX and Norfolk Southern – and four short lines – Indiana Railroad Co., Indiana Southern, Louisville & Indiana Rail, and Central Railroad of Indiana. These freight railroads carry on the railroad tradition of helping drive our nation’s economic engine by safely and efficiently moving goods and materials to manufacturers and consumers.
I was delighted to be at the luncheon earlier this year when Norfolk Southern and CSX were recognized for their outstanding safety performance at the 2010 E. H. Harriman Awards, the nation’s top railway safety recognition program. Norfolk Southern received the Gold Award for the 22nd year in a row and CSX received the Silver Award.
Stephen Klejst is Director, Office of Railroad, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Investigations.
NTSB Safety Compass Blog 